Contador: "Being here is already a real victory"

"Being here is already a real victory," said Alberto Contador on Wednesday morning moments before heading to the start line at the Vuelta a Algarve in Faro. It is the first race Contador has been permitted to compete in since last year's Tour de France, during which he returned a positive sample for clenbuterol.

On Tuesday, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) exonerated Contador of guilt over the affair, accepting the rider's defense that he had ingested the banned steroid through a piece of meat he consumed during the Tour. Contador had been under provisional suspension since last August and the RFEC's decision allowed him to make haste for Portugal.

Until today, the Vuelta al Algarve had been a minor race, comprised of only five stages, but the expectation around this year's race is unprecedented. The triple Tour de France winner was greeted by crowds of supporters. "I have to go day by day, gaining rhythm," Contador said at the start line. "The truth is I am not as I have been in previous years here when I have won." Contador was victorious in the last two editions of the race. "I missed the Lisbon to Faro flight and I've barely slept. [Tuesday] was an intense day. I hope today will be calmer."

It is unlikely that Contador will get his wish in the longer term. The RFEC's decision has not been greeted warmly by Pat McQuaid, the International Cycling Union (ICU)'s president. "It's up to sport to police itself and sport should be allowed to do that," McQuaid said. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero had commented on the Contador case, saying there was no legal basis to ban the cyclist. "I believe that politicians who do not know all the facts should not interfere in the process with purely political declarations. It does not aid the image of Spain. It shows they're biased towards supporting their own regardless of what the facts of the case might be."

The ICU and the World Anti-Doping Authority will have one month from receipt of the RFEC's report to decide whether to appeal against the lifting of Contador's suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "We have to study the full report," McQuaid said. "It could be that we do not appeal."

After the Vuelta al Algarve, Contador and his team, Saxo Bank, will repair to Mallorca to plan the season. No decision has been taken as to whether Contador will race at the Giro d'Italia but it is beyond doubt that Saxo Bank will be keen for him to line up at the Tour. If he will be permitted to is, as yet, still unresolved.